


Black Swan Theory

by michaeyusone



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Paris, F/F, Texas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23068657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michaeyusone/pseuds/michaeyusone
Summary: Mina happily lives with her weird but lovable family. They take a family vacation to Paris where she meets an unlikely friend, Yoo Jeongyeon.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Son Chaeyoung, Minatozaki Sana/Park Jisoo | Jihyo, Myoui Mina/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	Black Swan Theory

**Author's Note:**

> I made a playlist for this. Listen to it if you want  
> (my boi Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PXGoHOFCBAVE5VekKSVIZ?si=9AnP5OBUTWish89Mh7yulQ  
> (Apple Music) https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/black-swan-jeongmi/pl.u-76oNlMMFW4Rj7L9  
> If you listen to the playlist, I recommend Black Swan (Orchestral) and i love you (rain ver.) but do what you want  
> Each dashed line (-) is like for a new song or whatever

**-**

TSA always spiked Mina’s anxiety whenever her family went on trips. The airport security was rushed and confusing. She never had anything bad in her carry-on bags (except a full water bottle she forgot about once) but she was still scared as she stood in a line with her family and strangers. She distracted herself by staring at her passport that read “United States of America” and tried to conceptualize what her life would have been like if her parents had moved back to Japan during her childhood. She opened the navy passport and smiled at her 14-year-old picture with straight across bangs. She wanted to change the photo each time she saw it, but it would mean getting a new passport and not completely filling up her passport pages with country stamps. Her parents stood in front of her as they presented their identification to the agent in front of security. The agent tried to joke with Mina, but she was too frantic to respond, “France is a little cold this time of year for shorts, isn’t it?” Mina looked down at her shorts and smiled to give the man some response. The x-ray machines were always intimidating even when her pockets were empty, and she tried to breathe away her stress. She took her shoes off as the line in front of her started to become shorter. Her older sisters never seemed to have a problem with airports or security as they argued behind her over something small that Mina couldn’t care less about. As she stood in front of the conveyer belt, she patted down her already empty pockets and carefully took out her laptop from her backpack. She laid her backpack down and her shoes came afterward. The TSA agent who stood at the x-ray belt and smiled at Mina, “Nothing else in those pockets?” Mina shook her head as she patted her short’s pockets for the third time. _Why do they always try to talk to me? Momo and Sana never get stupid questions._ Her parents were already through the screening and were putting their shoes on at the other side of the security line. Mina quietly sighed as she walked through the machine and held her arms up in a rigid “U” shape like she was a fork. “Put your feet exactly on the picture.” The TSA agent told her. She looked down and matched her feet with the white pair of feet on a mat. The agent made her step forward and told her she was good to go as she breathed and went to go pick up her backpack and shoes.

They had plenty of time before they had to board their plane. Her parents always made sure of that. Her parents and she waited for the two twins, Sana and Momo, to make it through the security machines before they decided what restaurant they would eat in before boarding. Mina thought she would spend time with her friends during her senior spring break, but her family insisted that they should all go on a family trip before the 3 daughters started college. _Why did my sisters have to take a year off to “find themselves?” My friends and I were planning on going to Disneyland for crying out loud._ Mina gave a big smile as her sisters finally stood in front of her as they struggled to put their shoes on quickly. They found a neat restaurant in one of the terminals with a dark lounge theme that made passengers forget that they were in an airport. They all easily ordered, and their food arrived in a timely manner as they made conversation together. Sana and Momo fought when Momo wanted to try some of Sana’s pasta, but Sana told her she should have ordered it herself. Mina looked between them as they mocked each other and wondered how she was the only normal daughter. “Ask Mina! We ordered the same food,” Sana urged as she pushed Momo’s fork away. “No! It’s about the principle now.” Mina was almost full and still had a lot of pasta left, but she decided to let her sisters battle it out between themselves.

The parents were no longer phased by the twins as they ate their own meals. “See, you didn’t even finish all of it! You could have given me a bite,” Momo said as Sana pushed the plate away from her. Sana moved the plate in front of Momo, but the sister that had begged for food shook her head, “I’m full now.” Sana shrugged and decided to annoy Mina instead. “If there was a beautiful girl in Paris, she had everything you could ever ask for, would you drop out of University for her?” Sana asked and waited for Mina’s reply. Mina shook her head, “I haven’t even started school yet and you already want me to drop out, and over a girl?” Sana smiled, “Honestly you’re no fun. I’d do it. And you’re going to be our French translator all week, so remember that. Maybe being a translator will help you find a girl, huh?” Mina sighed, “I took two French classes. I am far from being anything close to a translator. But why are you so worried about my love life like you aren’t as single as me?” Sana shrugged, “I guess I’m bored.” And she went on back to annoying Momo.

“Dad, do you have a song recommendation for today? You didn’t tell me on the drive over,” Mina asked her dad who was looking over a new journal that had come out for his job. Mina’s dad looked over the top of his laptop screen with a bright smile, “I played it in the car. The song is pretty long. You weren’t paying any attention.” He tutted as he leaned back in his seat, “Do you have a guess…?” Mina thought back to their drive over. Her sisters peacefully slept beside her as her head rested against the window and she hummed along to the music her dad played. “You played some Michael Jackson?” Mina asked. Her dad shook his head and his smile grew wider, “I always play 80’s Michael Jackson.” Mina remembered a soft, intricate melody, but she couldn’t remember a lyric. Mina clapped her hands once and sat back in her chair like she had just gotten a checkmate in a game of chess. “It was ABBA!” Mina’s dad nodded. Momo coughed under her breath, “Music nerds.” Mina’s dad told her to write down _I Let the Music Speak_ by ABBA and to listen to it on the plane. The whole family stood up together to walk to their terminal and get good enough seating while they waited for the plane to arrive. Mina played a game on her phone and quietly waited for their plane to France.

-

They had started this music tradition years ago when Mina’s dad heard classical music seeping its way down the halls from his youngest daughter’s bedroom. He peeked through the door and noticed her humming along to concertos as she did her homework. He smiled and wondered if this was one of the pieces she used to perform when she was a ballerina. He softly knocked on the door as his daughter looked up. She drummed her pencil against her notebook lightly and smiled. “Hey, dad.” He sat on the edge of the bed and Mina moved to turn the music lower, but he stopped her. They silently listened to the slow lulls and tempered transitions. Her dad, who was pleased with his daughter’s music choices, decided to recommend more classical music he had found intriguing. The classical music recommendations continued for months. When her dad was rushing out the door, she would yell for a song. After he had come back from a long day in surgery, she would ask for another song. Mina wanted to add another song to her playlist one breakfast morning, but her dad told her he was all tapped out for classical music. Mina blinked sweetly at her dad, but he just gave a big shrug. “I have music that I used to listen to in high school. The attic is full of my cassettes.”

Mina quickly nodded and requested music from the old days to listen to. Mina’s dad rubbed his bald in thought, “Imagine by John Lennon.” And so, it all started with John Lennon.

-

They all stood as first class was called and joined in the line with their bags when the flight attendant called on business class. Mina had her boarding pass scanned by the flight attendant as they both exchanged small smiles. “Enjoy your flight, Mina,” the flight attendant said. Mina gave a small nod and a little thanks before walking through the tunnel down to her plane. Mina and her sisters had seats in the middle aisle while their parents sat across the aisle next to the window. Mina chose to sit in the middle between Momo and Sana and hoped she wouldn’t regret it during the flights she was stuck in. Mina quickly put on her headphones and opened her playlist called, “Inherited Oldies but Goodies” She scrolled through hundreds of songs until she landed on the first. She clicked play and closed her eyes as people boarded the plane one by one and headed further and further to the tail. Mina wished she was sitting next to the window and could watch other planes readying for takeoff.

Sana grabbed her younger sister’s arm and connected their inner elbows. She rested her head on Mina’s shoulder and closed her eyes as Mina watched her. Her sisters were weird, but she did love them and their affection. The plane engines started as Momo turned her phone on airplane mode and started to watch some movies that she had downloaded earlier. “Toy Story, again?” Mina asked the oldest sibling. Momo nodded and pressed play while putting in her headphones, “I haven’t seen Toy Story 2 in years.” Mina understood and her eyes watched the beginning scenes until her eyes started to become droopy. John Lennon sang in her ears while her eyes fought to stay awake, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

As the airplane started to ascend, Mina finally lost the battle against sleep and her eyes closed in the reclined seating. The stress of packing, getting to the airport, and airport security washed off her in a peaceful wave. She couldn’t even stay awake to watch the flight attendants perform their safety check, but she had seen it enough times to know the routine. Life vest is under the seat, in case the cabin loses oxygen, masks will automatically drop from the ceiling, put on your mask before you help children, so on and so on. She relaxed to the mix of songs on her playlist and the calming jets. She yawned countless times, however, when the plane was lifted and her ears started to pop. Sana was already cuddled tighter into Mina’s arm and seemed to be gone to the world in a calm and restful sleep. Mina tried to follow, and eventually, she was asleep too after a lot of effort.

_Mina’s heart pounded as she watched herself stand on a bridge and look at the water below with a smile. She jumped from the tall ledge into freezing water in her dream. The girl she was watching with matching moles wasn’t fighting the water or fighting for her life. She seemed to finally be at peace after a lot of inner struggling. She had accepted the place she was in. The freezing water changed to algae-filled water as the spring sun rolled in. A police car pulled to the side next to the bridge ledge above and the cop looked down into the deep water. They finally found her body and pulled it slowly out. They quickly placed a body bag over her before making the call to her family. Mina watched her mother and sisters cry next to the lake that she had jumped into. Mina felt choked like she couldn’t breathe as she watched her family’s pain. Nothing felt real as Mina still floated above the lake watching her lifeless body._ She didn’t think she could breathe until she opened her eyes.

Sana was still clinging to her arm but slightly looser and Momo had fallen asleep with her phone still playing Toy Story in her lap. Mina wiped away the sweat from her forehead and tried to still her beating heart. _It was just a dream. Just a dream_ , she told herself as she inhaled deeply in and out. She picked Momo’s phone up and paused the movie for her but Momo whined and said she wanted to listen to it. Mina hit the play button again for her sister. She checked how long she had been asleep for and looked at her playlist to see which song was up next. _Oh shit, dad gave me a new song to listen to_ , she thought. She quickly opened the song she had downloaded before boarding.

-

_Dad is seriously obsessed with ABBA. Is this song really over five minutes? People in the 80s were wild._ She observed the cover art before pressing play on the soft melodic song. She looked around the plane, and they had dimmed the lights in the business class area. Most people were asleep or watching movies on the seat chairs in front of them. Mina decided to do the same once the song was over. The song was about music having the control to speak better than words. Better than poets and writers, songs could express more emotions with no restraints. Mina softly stretched without disturbing Sana and after a second and third listen, decided she liked the song. Occasionally she would hate a song that her dad recommended, and she would tell him. Her dad became her personal Spotify over the years. He would adjust the songs she didn’t like and choose something a tad different until she agreed with the song.

After flying for a few hours, the plane landed in the Atlanta airport without any struggles. Mina looked out the window at the dark night before getting ready to deplane and repeat the process all over again. They waited to board a flight headed to London before they would get on their last layover to Paris. Their layover in Atlanta was short enough and again Mina somehow found herself in between Momo and Sana on the plane. She hoped they still had lacking energy and would sleep more, but knowing her sisters, they wouldn’t.

Midflight, Mina stopped a flight attendant who was walking by and politely asked if she could get a water bottle and a Sprite. The flight attendant hurried to the back to provide Mina with her refreshments. Mina started to click away on the touchscreen in front of her with a yawn forgetting that she was still tired. When the attendant handed her the drinks, Mina quickly drank from the water bottle and set the Sprite aside for later. 

On this flight, she found a good enough tv show to watch as she rubbed the sleepiness away from her eyes. Mina fell asleep but woke up much calmer the second time around as the tv show was still playing on the screen. Luckily for her, time had passed nicely as the flight attendants wheeled the cart next to her and were beginning to serve breakfast. They had the choice of scrambled eggs, a sausage, and a biscuit, a fruit bowl and a croissant, or oatmeal. Mina woke up Sana and Momo to their displeasure. Their attitude changed quickly when they saw the food about to make its way to them. All three chose the fruit salad because it was the most appetizing and Mina went back to watching her show as she ate. She fell back asleep with a full stomach as Sana and Momo energetically laughed across her. _Yeah, I shouldn’t have sat in the middle. I knew it._

After another long nap, Mina stretched her legs in her seat and adjusted her body against her seatbelt. She asked Sana what time it was and how much time they had left on the red-eye they had been on. Sana voiced that they had 2 hours left on this flight and Mina nodded to the response with a weak yawn. She drank from the Sprite she had asked for earlier and tried to find a movie to watch that would help cut down the time she was bored in the air.

They repeated the steps of before, by landing in London, waiting for boarding, and getting back on a new flight to their last destination of Paris. The plane was freezing, and Mina regretted wearing shorts, but she had decided she would change before they left the airport and headed for their hotel. Hours of traveling and they were finally reaching their destination.

The pilot came on the intercom to say they would be landing in Paris soon. The seatbelt sign dinged on the dashboard above their heads. The pilot noted that the weather in Paris was rainy, but not too cold as he said the temperature in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. The pilot said what time it was in Paris before the plane wheels descended readying for landing.

The rain made the turbulence rough as the plane settled back down to land. The wheels on the plane touched ground shakily as everyone on the plane was focused on their ears popping and erasing the discomfort that came with it. Eventually, the plane came to a gradual slow pace as it parked itself next to a tunnel. The passengers impatiently waited while they started to get their luggage from the overhead bins or from under their seats. People lined up in an orderly fashion, row by row, and Mina’s family followed suit. They walked through the tunnel from the airplane to the airport terminal and got their passports stamped by immigration before heading to baggage claim.

They watched the cycling conveyer go around filled with bags of strangers. Their own bags steadily made their way from outside one by one as Mina’s dad went to pick up his, then he picked up his wife’s bag, and let the daughters get their own. They all tried to pack light, so they could buy more things in France, but Momo still managed to pack a lot compared to everyone else. The entire family spoke in Japanese amongst themselves, especially when traveling. Mina was always the representative speaker when she had to speak English (she had no idea why), but since she took two easy French classes in her high school, she was also the representative French speaker. They waited by the door of the airport as Mina called their hotel to get a shuttle specifically for them. Once the shuttle arrived and a lanky man opened his door and asked if they were the Myoui family, they finally felt their small vacation had begun. It was late in the night, and even though they probably wouldn’t be able to get much rest, a nice warm bed wouldn’t hurt after hours of traveling.

-

“3 beautiful girls in the world’s most beautiful city,” The driver said as he quickly looked in his rearview mirror and then back at the road. Mina’s dad cleared his throat, “4.” His wife ignored his attempt, but she smiled in her head at her husband’s caring manner. The driver corrected himself, “Ah yes, I could never forget about madame. 4 beautiful women in the city of Paris.” The entire car ride was filled with the driver talking about the city and the best destinations that tourists seemed to forget about. Momo asked him where the best place to eat was, and a thicker accent rolled off his tongue as he reflected on his favorite restaurant in the city. He told Momo his answer and the best dish to order as Momo happily and quickly wrote everything down.

They arrived at their hotel after a 40-minute car ride through the city, and the dad went inside to check-in to the hotel while the driver unloaded everyone’s bags. A doorman brought a luggage cart from inside and the driver loaded the Myoui family’s luggage silently and efficiently. The dad handed each member of the family their own room key. He and his wife would share a suite and the daughters would all share a suite. Sana fumbled with the room key when they made it to their room, and she laughed when she couldn’t get the door to unlock. Mina gently moved her to the side and tried her own key which seemed to do the trick. They opened the door and noted the small kitchen on the left and the large couches in the middle of the floor. There were two beds in the suite and Momo and Sana quickly called dibs before Mina could voice an opinion, “So, I’m sleeping on the couches?” The twins nodded and moved their bags next to their beds. “Why do I have to sleep on the couch?” Mina asked. Sana laid down comfortably before responding, “You’re the youngest. Seems fair.” Mina sighed and tried to get comfortable on the couches, but it was no use, “And you two are the oldest. Hags!” She said not even in a whisper, but quiet enough that Momo and Sana couldn’t hear her. They all rested or tried to through the night. The family had plans to begin their tourist lives bright and early.

Mina woke up around 4 am and then around 6. She couldn’t go back to sleep, so she ventured around the hotel on her own. She looked at the hotel indoor pool and then the fitness room. She decided to come back later and run for a bit. She walked through the golden hotel lobby noting the small details she had been too tired to notice the night before. The golden wall designs, the crystal chandeliers, and even the exquisite lounge chairs that seemed like far too many, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Mina headed outside the building but not too far. Across the busy street, eateries lined the streets. Pizzerias, bakeries, lounges. _It’s been five minutes and I’m already glad I’m not in Disneyland._ After waiting at a crosswalk for a while, she crossed the street. The bakery was the only place open as she ogled at the pastries and tarts and delicacies. The scent of warm bread hit her nose as she walked through the door and she smiled at the bakery worker. Mina asked for 3 pain au chocolats for her sisters and herself. She didn’t want to leave the store with the warm feeling just yet, so she sat down and began to eat the flaky, warm bread with chocolate hidden inside. Mina closed her eyes when she chewed her first bite and smiled in embarrassment at herself. Once she was finished with the pastry, she ordered more before heading back to the hotel. As she was leaving the bakery, two teens around her age were walking down the street. She curiously watched the girl with blonde hair and could have sworn she had seen her before. _I’m on the other side of the world. I highly doubt it_ , she assured herself.

She briefly heard their conversation. The girl with black hair was annoyed they had left so early, “Can we go back to the hotel? Tzuyu is going to facetime me soon and I need WiFi.” The blonde responded, but Mina didn’t hear all of it, “You’re the one who wanted to see The Louvre so badly. We had to wake up early – “ Mina shrugged it off and went back up the elevator, arms full of warm pastries. Momo and Sana were still fast asleep as Mina laid the pastries on the kitchen counter. _The beds must be hella comfortable for them to still be asleep,_ Mina concluded. She gleefully turned on the TV and wondered what was on French television. She clicked through news stations and kids’ stations but avoided any shows she may have been used to while at home. “Can you understand that?” Sana sleepily asked as she stood behind the couch to look at the French newscaster. Mina shook her head and turned the volume down a little. “There’s chocolate pastries on the counter if you want something to eat,” Mina told her sister. Sana happily skipped to the kitchen area to grab herself one. Sana yelled loud enough that Momo could hear, “So glad ONE sister loves me!” Momo grumbled and covered her ears with her pillow as she fell asleep again.

-

Everyone finally woke up around 8 and got ready to start their day. They agreed to walk to attractions near them while it was early, and the sun was out. Later, they would hail a cab to see the Arc de Triomphe. The family walked together to see the Statue de Jeanne d’Arc. Momo wasn’t hungry at all but walking passed all of the businesses just starting to open made her stomach protest. Mina tugged on her dad’s sleeve and asked for a song. “I’m on vacation. Please come back in 5 – 7 days,” he joked with his youngest kid. Mina pulled harder on his sleeve and prepared herself to whine. The rest of the women of the family stared at purses in a boutique window, but Mina was preoccupied. “Fine, but it’s a song you’ve heard before,” her dad said when she wouldn’t let go. Mina nodded and waited for the song. “ _Don’t You (Forget About Me)_ by Simple Minds,” He told her. Mina lightly pouted but accepted the song. _Everyone’s heard that song before,_ she told herself. “You’ve heard the song, but have you ever listened to it when you weren’t watching The Breakfast Club?” Mina shook her head and added the song to her playlist. Her dad smiled, “Now go join your mom and sisters, so you 4 can try to convince me to buy purses.” Mina ran along and heard the ding of the boutique door above her head.

Mina found her mom modeling a purse in the mirror and joined her. “The black or the beige,” Mina’s mom asked her. Mina watched her mom model both and then tried modeling them for herself. _The beige matches her car seats and her favorite dress. And the black would look amazing with my graduation dress._ “The black for you. The beige for me,” she concluded. The mom took the beige purse from Mina and nodded saying she was going to buy the beige one. _I always have to do reverse psychology with this lady_ , she shook her head, and was happy that she was stuck with the black purse. The women walked out of the store with smiles on their faces and new purses in their hands. They continued their walk to the statue. They stood at it for five minutes and took pictures, but there was nothing overwhelming about it. “Next tourist attraction,” Sana energetically concluded for the entire family. They hailed a cab. Mina told the driver to drive towards the Arc. The daughters were all fascinated by all the roundabouts in the city and were disappointed that America didn’t have any of the fun traffic circles. After 20 minutes, their cab was in front of the famous attraction seen in tv and movies.

They took bad pictures from the moving vehicle and then asked the driver to stop somewhere so they could get closer. The family stood under the warming sun and the giant arc. Mina had to do a presentation on it in her French II class and told Momo about it in a tourist guide voice. “Say it in French,” Sana requested. Mina pointed above them, “Uh, c’est l’Arc de Triomphe.” Sana shouted again, “Japanese!” Mina listened to her sister. “English!” Sana and Momo played with Mina’s language skills as they all played tour guide in the foreign country they barely knew about.

-

A long, but successful day of being a tourist behind them and they were back in their hotel suite. Everyone was on their phones and Mina had plans to head downstairs to the gym to get a workout in. She grabbed her phone and headphones and ran to her workout playlist. Mina ran her two miles on a treadmill while her mind drifted back to the girl with the blonde hair and she couldn’t believe that person was a look-alike. _They do say everyone has 7 doppelgangers. Maybe that’s it._ Her run time was worse than usual, but she blamed it on being in a foreign country. _Different air_ , she thought.

Mina came back to the room as Sana and Momo were fighting over the last pastry. Mina put down her phone and headphones and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She stepped out and still heard them arguing in the room. _What are they still fighting about?_ Momo was standing on her bed with the pastry bag high in the air. “Mina, tell Sana that this is mine. You bought them.” Mina nodded and sighed, “Yeah, Momo get off the bed. The last pastry is yours.” Momo smiled and stepped off the bed next to Mina. Mina in turn swiped the pastry from her sister’s hands. “I bought them, so I get the last one,” Mina said as she headed to the kitchen to heat it up. “We’ve been fighting for over an hour because of that pastry. One of us has to get it,” Sana screamed. Mina nodded again as she broke off some of the flaky dough, “You’re so right. One of us deserves it, and that one of us is me.” She jumped over the couch and turned the French news back on.

Sana and Momo didn’t even try to argue with their younger sister as they huddled around the tv together and watched a man talk about the weather for the rest of the week. They couldn’t understand what he was saying or the weather that was in Celsius, but they could understand the week full of rain clouds and one sun graphic on the day they were leaving. “More time to try new food since it will be raining the whole time we’re here,” Sana said and both Momo and Mina agreed. The next day was the last day of the week without rain, so the sisters planned to visit the Eiffel tower during the morning, find a nice place to eat lunch, and then return to the Eiffel tower at night and go up the elevator to see the cityscape at night. They figured their parents should go on in a date in the city by themselves. The sisters bought their tickets for the Eiffel tower as they started a movie to watch together.

Sana fell asleep on the couch, so Mina crept over to one of the comfy beds and relaxed her body underneath the covers. The next morning, she was the last one to wake up, _so it was the beds._ Sana and Momo were already dressed and watching cartoons together. Sana looked up from the couch, “Minari, get dressed so we can go eat breakfast.” Mina quickly changed into jeans and a lazy but neat t-shirt. She brushed her hair and her teeth and yelled from the bathroom that she was ready. She went back into the common area and they looked at her, “Are you ready yet?” Mina laughed, “I just yelled I was. Could you not hear me?” Momo shook her head, “Your yelling is Sana’s normal talking voice, but let’s head out if we’re all ready.” They went to a fancier place for breakfast than the bakery Mina had been to a day before. The restaurant was still within walking distance, but a waiter came out to the patio to ask where they wanted to sit. The girls sat inside and looked over their menus. They ordered a variety of crepes (sweet and savory) and a large traditional breakfast of eggs, toast, ham, and pork. Mina had 2 weeks before she turned 18, but Momo and Sana convinced her to order mimosas with them. “Just say you lost your ID if they ask,” Momo told her. Mina ordered a water along with 3 mimosas for the whole table. She took a sip of the champagne mixed with orange juice and quickly pieced together that she liked water much better. Momo saw that her sister wasn’t going to finish the drink and stole it for herself. The twins were far from being tipsy, but they felt woozier than normal. Mina sighed, _I’m going to have to be the adult again today until this alcohol wears off_.

-

They called a taxi to head to the Trocadero Gardens, a walkway of fountains steps away from the Eiffel tower. Mina stood in front of one of the many fountains with a coin in her hand, ready to throw it in the water. _Why did our parents even tell us to do this as kids? A waste of money._ Mina had a couple of euros in her pockets. She pulled out one and looked it over in her hand. Sana watched her as Momo took pictures, “Mina, make a wish for your first girlfriend.” Mina wasn’t mad as she kept looking at the coin, “You should make a wish for better jokes.” Sana pouted and hugged her sister sincerely, “Oh, I got the baby angry. I’m sorry.” Mina sighed. _I’m not even mad. But making a wish for a girlfriend wouldn’t hurt. I already got accepted to my top university._ _Might as well try for love._ Sana held tightly onto Mina’s arm as she thought of her own wish. Mina closed her eyes, _I wish I would experience love for the first time_. She flipped the euro off her thumb, and it tumbled into the recycled fountain water. Sana made her wish shortly after with a small smile on her face. Momo was still trying to get the perfect picture of the Eiffel tower for her Instagram. Mina took a step back without looking and both her and Sana bumped into a person behind them. The girl was trying to take a selfie of the Eiffel tower with her disposable film camera. The camera dropped to the ground with a light clank on the grey pavement. Mina automatically bent down to pick up the dropped item, “I’m so sorry. I should have looked behind me.” The girl was the blonde Mina had seen the day before when she was coming out of the bakery. The person received her camera nicely, but sounded rude, “Yeah, it’s whatever, Mina.” _How does she know my name?_

“Jeongyeon come on! It’s almost our turn for the tower. We have to start walking,” A short girl yelled from 15 feet away. Sana looked up, “Wait, Jeongyeon? I barely recognized you with your blonde hair.” Jeongyeon looked at her sister and back at Sana. Jeongyeon smiled, “Yeah, I haven’t seen you in years. Not since you aced calculus, right?” Sana matched the smile and bubbly nodded, “Yep, that’s right!” Jeongyeon waved and ran to meet up with her sister, “It was nice seeing you again. Weird that it happened to be in Paris.” Mina blinked trying to remember who the girl was, but nothing rang a bell. Mina turned to Sana as Momo joined them near the fountain. “Who was she?” Mina asked. Sana looked shocked, “Jeongyeon? She was my calculus tutor like 2 years ago. Really smart. She was in like Cal II in the 10th grade.” Momo put her phone away and looked at her youngest sibling, “I’m surprised you don’t remember. She was always in the house.” Mina shook her head. She couldn’t remember at all. “I was in Cal II in 10th grade. Why didn’t you get me to tutor you?” Mina asked. Sana thought back to what everyone in the family was doing 2 years prior. “You were always at swim practice in the mornings, ballet in the afternoons, homework until 2 am. I think your plate was full. That’s probably why you don’t remember her. You were so busy.” All three of them nodded and remembered Mina’s busier days when she was still doing ballet. Momo suggested they get closer to the tower, so she could get better pictures. They all agreed until Momo spotted the carousel that was in front of the tower. Momo pulled on Mina’s sleeves, “Can we ride, please. Please Minari.” Sana joined in with the pleas. Mina nodded (like that meant anything) and they stood in line for a short carousel ride. The line was filled with toddlers and their parents, but Momo, Sana, and Mina paid no attention to that.

The girls had fun on the ride and Momo took the pictures she wanted. They went to visit gift shops around the tower and then headed to find a nice restaurant for lunch. An hour of discussing their meal plans went by before they all agreed on a place and started walking in the direction. “2 years ago, Jeongyeon was in 10th grade? That means she’s in my grade, right?” Mina asked both sisters. They both nodded. Sana responded, “She has to be a senior now. I’m surprised you two have never had classes together.” Mina tried to remember if she had but nothing clicked in her brain. She shrugged it away and asked her sisters if they wanted to shop for clothes after they ate. They both easily answered yes.

A fun day of shopping out of the way. They dropped off the new clothes at their hotel before heading back to the greenery in front of the Eiffel tower. Once it was time for them to go up the elevator, Momo and Sana energetically bounced around. The highest point they could be in the city of Paris, the three of them peered at the vast city. The dark night mixing nicely with the bright building lights. “I can see my house from here,” Momo said with a joking smile. Sana lightly scoffed, but was also joking, “Bitch, we live in Texas.” Momo rolled her eyes, “BiTcH wE LiVe iN tExAs. Shut up.” Sana pouted and Momo wrapped her arm around her, “I love you, sis.” Mina joined in on the group hug and all three hadn’t noticed how cold it was until they let go of each other. They happily took their pictures before heading back down to the ground and caught another cab back to the hotel for the night.

Mina didn’t bother her parents for the night but would text her dad later in the week for a song request or ask him when she saw him next. Her parents were still working from home during their vacation and Mina didn’t want to be a bother. She had time to facetime with her friends, so she spent the night doing that. They still went to California without her for their senior trip, and were going to Disneyland the next day, but they missed their friend. Sana said hi to Jihyo and ignored everyone else on the video call. Sana had been flirting with Mina’s best friend for months, but nothing seemed to be happening. Mina lightly pushed her away, “Go text Jihyo on your own time or stop being scared and just facetime her.” Sana hopped on one of the couches, “I’m not scared.” Mina looked at Jihyo and Jihyo shouted loud enough for Sana to hear her in response, “Call me tomorrow then. I want to see your pretty face.” Sana lightly blushed and was glad she wasn’t on camera. All of Jihyo’s friends teased her before they changed the subject to other things. Mina and her friends exchanged how their trips had been going even though they were only two days into their breaks.

The next day, the girls all woke up later than usual that morning and were stunned that it hadn’t rained yet when looking out the window. The skies were clear, but the weather app said it would rain later in the evening. Momo looked up something they could do that was outside. “Mina, can we go on this river cruise? It has crepe and wine tasting,” Momo asked. Mina looked at both her sisters, “You two remember I’m the youngest here, right? Momo you were literally born first.” Momo nodded, but still asked anyway. Mina happily agreed and they purchased their tickets online again as they had done with the tower.

-

Sana energetically hopped onto the boat when she handed her ticket to the attendant. A tour of France while getting full on warm crepes and cold wine. Mina had decided she would participate a little in the wine tasting this time. The three sisters stood on the deck of the small cruiser and looked at the white clouds overhead. The blue skies and chill wind made the trip peaceful. They were served their first few crepes and small portions of wine. Momo happily munched on every food item that was placed in front of her. People spoke in different languages around Mina and her sisters. Some in Spanish, German, Italian, but the one that caught her eye came from a family that was standing at the railing and looking up at the Eiffel tower as they passed it.

A mom and two daughters happily conversed in Korean as they walked back and forth from their crepe-filled table and the boat railing. Mina of course couldn’t understand, but she still watched with curiosity. “Isn’t that the Jeongyeon girl we saw yesterday?” Mina asked Sana by poking her. Sana looked up from her red wine and nodded, “With her mom and sister, I think.” Jeongyeon’s younger sister tried stealing some of Jeongyeon’s wine and Jeongyeon pushed her away. Jeongyeon inhaled the wine before drinking it and tried to look like a professional wine-taster. “Chaeyoung-ssi…” Jeongyeon continued the conversation with her sister that Mina still couldn’t understand. She watched the short-haired blonde girl take pictures of the scenery with her film camera until her sisters made her stand up so they could take selfies near the railing. “Do you know if she still lives in Texas?” Mina asked out of nowhere. Momo gave a confused hum and looked at her younger sister. Mina pointed in the direction of Jeongyeon with her head. Sana and Momo shook their heads, “No idea.” Mina shrugged and went back to taking pictures with her sisters. The girls continued to eat and take pictures, but Mina couldn’t stop stealing glances at the tall blonde across the boat.

The calm blue sky turned cloudy in a matter of minutes. The boat ride still had time, but some of the passengers were worried about the possibility of rain. The white clouds turned a murky shade of grey. Momo felt the first drops of rain on the back of her hand and she immediately went to protect her glass of wine. When the rain started to pour, the passengers were allowed to go to the lower deck, but they were all packed together in a tight huddle. Mina tried to turn around to see her sisters better in the crowd of strangers. She turned and met the eyes of the blonde. She tried to move back with a gulp, but there was nowhere to go. Sana held onto Mina’s hand to assure her she was right beside her. Mina and Jeongyeon didn’t take their eyes off each other and Mina felt like her head was underwater. The boat rocked back and forth unsteadily, and Mina lightly fell into the arms of Jeongyeon. The two said nothing to each other. They went back to silently staring at each other until Mina panicked and looked for her sisters instead. Momo was on her phone with not a care in the world and Sana still held onto Mina’s hand next to her. When Mina looked back up, Jeongyeon had turned around and was now facing her younger sister. Mina felt like she could finally breathe, but she missed the taller girl’s gaze on her.

When the boat was parked in the dock and passengers were stepping off, Sana stopped Jeongyeon before she could leave. “We keep running into you guys. How’s your trip going so far?” Sana asked. Jeongyeon nodded with a smile and her sister, Chaeyoung, stood next to her. Jeongyeon only looked at Sana as she answered, “It’s going well. We’ve done everything we planned, but we missed a couple of art museums Chaeyoung wanted to see.” Chaeyoung nodded, “We underestimated how long we would have to wait at the Louvre, but it’s okay.” Momo wrapped her arm around Jeongyeon, “I haven’t seen you since you were this high, Jeong.” Momo moved her hand 2 feet above the ground to show how short Jeongyeon was. Jeongyeon laughed, “I haven’t grown at all over the last two years, pabo.” Momo shrugged and moved some of her hair back, “Still don’t know what pabo means, but I’m going to keep assuming it means beautiful.” Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung’s mom walked off the boat to join them with a friendly smile. Sana, Momo, and Mina all introduced themselves and Jeongyeon told her mom she used to tutor Sana a while ago. Jeongyeon’s mom nodded, “So, this was the family that always fed you and you would say you didn’t want my cooking?” Jeongyeon laughed and shrugged, “Their mom is a really good cook.” _She ate dinner at our house? Seriously, where was I?_ Mina thought to herself. “You met friends in the most unlikely place. Ask them if they’re doing anything on Friday. Maybe you all can go to Disneyland together, and I can stay home and rest,” Jeongyeon’s mom said. The two Korean sisters nodded and Chaeyoung was the first to ask with a big smile, “It would be really fun, if you 3 don’t already have plans.” Sana got out her phone to check their “schedule” (they didn’t have one). She nodded and said that Friday would work. They planned to meet at 9 am outside the Disney park and said goodbye to each other. Once back on the street, the Myoui sisters stood on the street in the drizzling rain on a Paris afternoon, waiting for a cab to pick them up.

Mina went to work out when they got back to the hotel. Their parents had knocked on the door to tell them they were getting dinner together when Mina got back. The family dressed fancy for dinner before heading out of the hotel together under the dark grey skies. When Sana got back to the hotel, she immediately used her facetime to talk to Jihyo. Momo came up behind her after her shower and asked who she was talking to. “I’m talking to Sana’s Jihyo,” Sana happily said. Mina looked up from the tv with a raised eyebrow, “You two aren’t even dating.” Sana winked at her younger sister, “…yet. We aren’t dating yet.” Mina looked back at the movie she was watching while her sister continued to flirt.

-

Over the next few days, the family visited numerous tourist attractions including the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles, and Les Catacombes while avoiding the Paris spring rain. Mina texted her dad on a day that they weren’t too busy and requested more songs. “You owe me like 3 songs. I might have to start charging interest,” She joked. Her dad knocked on her suite door within 5 minutes with a smile on his face and a list of 5 songs in his hand. The dad and daughter listened to the songs together on the floor of their hotel room while Momo and Sana tried to watch tv, unsuccessfully. The twins left the hotel with a huff to get the family more food from the bakery near their hotel. This time, they got a variety of breads and eclairs and tarts. They argued over the best tasting ones and the mom and dad finished the ones their daughters didn’t want.

The week flew by in a flash as Mina looked at the time on Thursday night with a shocked face, _It’s already midnight?_ _And the week is almost over?_ The girls just had plans to go to Disneyland the following day and then they had a flight in the afternoon on Saturday. Momo didn’t like rollercoasters, so she was mildly dreading the next day. She did love Disney, though, and Mina and Sana promised not to go on any scary rollercoasters. (They had a slight fear of them, too). Mina was happy. Although she couldn’t go to Disney with her best friends, she was going with family and 2 friendly strangers.

Mina fell asleep and dreamt of the boat ride again. _Her eyes locked with the slightly taller girl. The boat wasn’t as crowded, but the two were just as close as before. It was somehow drizzling inside the boat as Mina looked up at the sky. Jeongyeon gently tugged on Mina’s chin to get her to look back down and Mina gulped. Jeongyeon moved herself closer to Mina’s lips. Her dream-self blinked and was in the Palace of Versailles looking up at the ceiling art and Jeongyeon was nowhere to be found. A second passed and her head was underwater. She was peacefully swimming in a calm lake. She looked around at all the small fish around her who were swimming away when she made a movement._ The dream was calming. Mina woke up with a smile on her face, but the smile fell when she remembered that her dream-self didn’t get to kiss Jeongyeon. _Stupid ass dreams,_ she thought. The girls woke up one by one and got dressed for their day at Disneyland. They did as normal by getting a cab and heading to their destination. It was already raining when they woke up, but they had made these plans days ago.

The 3 sisters waited outside the Disney gates for their friend and her younger sister. Mina took a deep breath and looked at her sisters, “I might have had a dream about Jeongyeon last night.” Sana raised her eyebrows, “What kind of dream, dude?” Mina quietly replied, “We might have almost kissed…” Sana nodded knowingly, “I knew you had a crush on her. Asking questions about her this entire week. Momo, let’s work our magic to get our baby sister a girlfriend.” Momo agreed and Mina shook her head, “That’s not what I was…” Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung walked up and Mina didn’t finish her sentence. The 5 of them stood in line waiting to buy their tickets and for the park to open. They looked over the Disney map in their spare time and planned where they wanted to go. Sana and Mina told Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung about Momo’s fear of rollercoasters and they planned to avoid any bad ones. They walked through Disney gates after having their bags searched and tickets checked.

They walked into the open park. Momo and Sana linked arms with Chaeyoung which forced Mina to walk next to Jeongyeon as she slightly rolled her eyes. They walked through the walkway of shops at the entrance of the theme park. Momo pulled them all into the first Disney gift shop she set her eyes on. They all had a look around, but Momo already saw over a hundred things she wanted to buy and take back home with her. They all said they would come back at the end of the day and walked to their first rollercoaster. Jeongyeon said they had to do Space Mountain first and she convinced Momo that it wasn’t that bad. While waiting in the long line, Sana spoke up about Mina’s weird quirk. Sana looked at her younger sister with a smirk before talking, “Mina is so weird. Anytime she’s on a rollercoaster, scary or not, she has to hold someone’s hand.” _What is she talking about?_ Mina thought. “Sana, what?” Sana quickly changed the subject onto something else and pretended like nothing happened. When they were at the front of the line Momo pushed Jeongyeon and Mina together. Sana pointed to the front of the rollercoaster, “Jeongyeon, you and Mina sit in the front since Momo has such a bad fear,” Sana urged them. _I’m going to kill her_ , Mina thought. Sana and Momo sat behind the pair and Chaeyoung behind them with a stranger. Jeongyeon held out her hand for Mina, “You need to hold someone’s hand, right?” _Sana’s life has been spared._ Mina lightly placed her hand in Jeongyeon’s and Jeongyeon gave her a small squeeze and smile. “Now kiss,” Sana whispered under her breath and Momo laughed at.

-

Momo hated Space Mountain. She shrieked and screamed the entire time. When they all happily hopped off, Momo complained that the ride was too dark and too scary. Jeongyeon apologized but not sincerely and told Momo she could choose the next ride. Hours of waiting in long lines, hearing Momo complain about slightly scary rollercoasters, and window-shopping in gift shops, and the girls were hungry. They walked past the magical scent of heated churros as they decided which restaurant to go to. They headed back to the front of the park to eat in an American themed restaurant, which they all found ironic. They ordered their French interpretations of American cuisine and sat together to talk. Momo asked what her friend had been up to over the past 2 years, and Jeongyeon told her nothing much had happened. “Our parents got divorced, though,” Chaeyoung stated, “That’s why we’re in Paris. My mom booked a freedom trip when the divorce went through.” Mina piped in while she at her food, “I’m sorry to hear that.” Jeongyeon who sat next to Mina gently hit her shoulder and squeezed Mina’s thigh. Jeongyeon smiled, “We were happy with the divorce. Nothing to be sorry about.” Mina’s heartbeat in her ears too much for her to even hear most of Jeongyeon’s response. Mina was screaming and happily panicking in her own brain, but she ate her salad and sandwich wrap like normal. Momo stood up and said she was getting herself a churro. She suggested that Sana and Chaeyoung join her, but she wasn’t going to accept no as an answer.

Mina and Jeongyeon were left alone in the restaurant as they sat beside each other. “Do you want some of my fries? I don’t think I can finish it all,” Jeongyeon asked her. Mina nodded and went to grab some. After a little conversation, Mina went to grab more fries, but didn’t notice Jeongyeon’s hand already there. Her hand grazed Jeongyeon’s quickly. They had been holding hands all morning on all the rides they went on, and yet this somehow felt more intimate for the girl with moles. Mina took her hand away and waited for Jeongyeon to get her fries before she tried again. During their talks, Mina learned about Jeongyeon and some of Chaeyoung’s life. Jeongyeon spent most of her childhood in Korea with her grandparents. She went to international schools, so she already had a pretty good handle on English when she had to move back to America when she was 10 and Chaeyoung was 8. They had lived in San Antonio since, but still went to visit Korea every other summer. Mina agreed about going back to visit Japan but told Jeongyeon that she and her sisters had lived in Texas all their lives. Sana, Momo, and Chaeyoung came back after a long time and were munching on their churros with smiles on their faces. “You didn’t get us one?” Jeongyeon asked her sister. Chaeyoung shook her head and took another bite of the cinnamon sugar-covered treat. “You two should go get one together. The kiosk isn’t too far,” Chaeyoung said. Jeongyeon looked at her watch, “You’ve been gone for over 40 minutes. How is that not too far?” Momo shrugged, “We made a few stops on the way back.” She pulled out a buzz lightyear doll she had won in one of the carnival games and presented it to the pair that stayed behind.

They all stood up after paying for their meals and left the restaurant. Sana locked arms with Mina as they walked to their next theme park ride. “So, did you two talk a lot? Have an insightful conversation?” Sana quietly asked as Momo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung walked ahead of them. Mina smiled, “We talked, yes.” Sana gave a cheesy smile, “And you’ve been holding hands all day. You’re welcome by the way.” Mina was going to say something but didn’t. Sana continued, “And I want just as much support when Hyo and I start dating.” Mina nodded, “I’ve always supported you two. She’s just been busy applying to colleges.” Sana groaned and let go of Mina’s arm, “I know. Now, go talk to your girlfriend.” Mina walked a little faster to catch up to the others who were talking about space travel and Jeongyeon said she wanted to ride Space Mountain again. Momo pouted and said she wanted to shop instead before they had to leave. Chaeyoung told Jeongyeon and Mina to go back to Space Mountain and they would all meet back at the central plaza. The pair listened to the youngest member of the group and headed back to the Space Mountain ride. Momo and Sana high-fived Chaeyoung once Jeongyeon and Mina left. “We’re the best wing women.” They all agreed.

Jeongyeon clenched and unclenched her hand trying to question if she could hold Mina’s hand or not as they walked to the theme park ride. She debated with herself back and forth but decided not to with a quiet sigh. The two talked as they waited in the long line again and Jeongyeon smiled anytime Mina moved her hair behind her ear or shyly looked at the ground. “How many moles do you have on your face?” Jeongyeon asked. Mina stuck her face closer to Jeongyeon’s, “Count them for me.” Jeongyeon panicked for half a second before smiling and starting to count. Jeongyeon said her guess and Mina told her the real number. (Jeongyeon was close, but wrong). They sat next to each other on the ride again, and Jeongyeon held out her hand like she had been doing all day. The rain had begun pouring again when they got off the rollercoaster. Jeongyeon decided not to let go of Mina’s hand as they walked back to meet up with their sisters. Mina shyly smiled with her hand wrapped in Jeongyeon’s and the two of them talked nothing and everything. They met up with the rest and everyone ignored how Mina’s hand was still in Jeongyeon’s as they walked to their last rollercoaster for the day.

At the end of the day, the two families said goodbye to each other. Jeongyeon wanted to hug Mina but froze and did finger guns instead. Momo with her arms full of plushies somehow managed to call her and her sisters a cab. Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung left first and the Myoui sisters followed shortly after. In the taxi, Sana clung to her younger sister, “Oh my god. You two are so cute. Did you get her number?” _Her number? HER NUMBER_ , Mina was screaming inside her own head. She shook her head in defeat once she had realized. _Maybe it was supposed to be a one-day romance,_ she thought. Momo gave a forced smile, “Maybe you’ll see her in the city, yeah? A lot rarer than finding her in France.” _If I haven’t noticed her in the city before, how will I find her now?_ Mina thought. Mina sighed and closed her eyes for a short nap on the way to their hotel.

“Finger guns? Finger guns, Jeong?” Chaeyoung asked. Jeongyeon sighed, “Shut up and go facetime your girlfriend.” Chaeyoung stuck out her tongue and pressed the call button on her phone for ‘Tzuyu’. They had made it back to their hotel and Chaeyoung had teased her about Mina the whole car ride. Chaeyoung was now sitting on the sink counter in the bathroom face-timing her girlfriend “Because the WIFI was better” she claimed. It was really because she didn’t want her mom and her sister to hear how soft and cutesy she was to her taller girlfriend. “Was Disney fun, Chaengie?” Chaeyoung nodded with a big smile, “I wish you were here though. You could have watched Jeongyeon gay panic with a girl all day.” Tzuyu smiled at her girlfriend’s happiness. “I wish I could have been there too. I miss you. My family is having a game night tomorrow after your plane lands. I know you’ll be tired but come over and play with us,” Tzuyu gave her puppy dog eyes that Chaeyoung couldn’t say no to. “I’ll be there. I have to go pack so we won’t miss our flight in the morning. I love you, Tzu,” Chaeyoung replied. Tzuyu blew kisses through the screen and Chaeyoung did the same. Tzuyu said ‘I love you’ back before she hung up the call.

-

Jeongyeon realized she hadn’t asked for Mina’s number while she was in the shower. She placed her head against the tile and let the water roll off her face. She knew that they went to the same high school (she was sure Mina didn’t know). She could just go up to Mina’s lunch table full of friends and ask for it out of the blue, but that wasn’t going to happen. Jeongyeon concluded that Mina and her perfect life would be happier without her in it anyway. She would go to school and keep away like she normally did.

Mina unconsciously sighed for the 10th time in a row while she rode on the plane the next day. She was sitting by the window this time, but that couldn’t even lift her mood. Momo rested her head on Mina’s shoulder, “Maybe you can find her on social media.” Mina shook her head and fidgeted with the fabric on her clothes, “I already tried. My friends said she deleted her accounts years ago. Jihyo, who has everyone’s number, didn’t even have it. She had Jeongyeon’s middle school number, but it was out of service.” Momo held onto her sister’s hand, “It’ll work out. Life always does.” Mina smiled at her sister’s advice, “Thanks Momo. You’re not a pabo.” Momo lifted her head, “ WHAT DOES IT MEAN?” Mina closed her eyes and pretended to sleep with a smile on her face.

The family felt a sigh of relief as they dropped their bags and turned their lights on in their family home. Mina’s dad smiled and told Mina that they were going on a weekend drive the next day. They had these occasional trips when her dad was stressed with work or just wanted to spend time with his daughter. They would ride in his 1971 vintage corvette that was stored in the garage. The car had a cassette player and Mina’s dad would specially pick cassettes from the attic to play during the car ride. Mina was the only family member that got to ride in her dad’s corvette, and she was proud of it. They usually rode around the entire city of San Antonio as they listened to music and talked about life together. This was both of their favorite dad and daughter bonding time. Mina spent the rest of her night trying to stalk the girl she met in France with no such luck.

That Sunday morning, Mina and her dad got brunch together and then rode around the city. Mina told her dad about her fears for college, fears of moving out, fears of living on her own. She had been accepted to a college 3 hours away in Houston. Her sisters were going to a college 10 minutes away, so she wouldn’t be completely alone, but she was still scared. Her dad tried reducing her fear by saying he would always be there for Mina and her sisters. He briefly talked about his work in the hospital and small problems he was having that were frustrating him. The car rides were like their free therapy sessions with each other. They didn’t talk about everything that bothered them in life, but it did help to talk out minor problems and fears with each other. Sometimes they sat in silence, and just let the music speak. Mina would close her eyes with a small smile as she listened to the notes and music of the past. That day, the dad and daughter duo bought fast food for the whole family’s lunch and headed back home.

Days passed and it was midweek. People still weren’t used to their school routine. Some students arrived late to class; some teachers fumbled with their lectures at the beginning of each hour. Mina opened her front door on Wednesday, ready to drive herself to school. She saw a short black-haired girl running down the street in a hurry with her backpack falling off her back. Mina gave a gummy smile and yelled down the street, “Chaeyoung!” The girl running stopped and turned while catching her breath. Chaeyoung walked up to Mina’s house, “Mina? You live in this neighborhood?” Mina nodded as she walked out her door, closed it, and locked it behind her. “I have all my life. Do **you** live in this neighborhood?” Chaeyoung fixed her backpack and her clothes, “Yeah, we just moved here like a month ago.” Mina nodded and looked down the empty street, “Why were you running at 7 in the morning?” Chaeyoung sighed, “I missed the bus this morning. I was trying to catch it.” Mina checked her time and asked what school Chaeyoung went to. “Harthrow Preparatory,” Chaeyoung responded. Mina almost dropped her keys in shock, “We go to the same school?” Chaeyoung shrugged and let out an ‘I guess.’ Mina started walking to her car and told Chaeyoung she would drive her to school, “Does Jeongyeon go to our school, too?” Chaeyoung slowly nodded and looked at Mina like she was crazy, “Yeah. Aren’t you two in the same grade?” Mina couldn’t believe that she had never seen Jeongyeon at school that she could remember. Before she drove away, she asked if Jeongyeon needed a ride too. Chaeyoung shook her head and got on her phone.

Mina drummed her fingers on the steering wheel while they waited at a red light, “Why doesn’t Jeongyeon need a ride? Is she sick?” Chaeyoung briefly looked up and then went back to her phone, “Uh no. Some girl named Irene picked her up this morning. Said she was buying her coffee.” The light turned green as Mina put her foot on the gas. She gripped the wheel and cleared her throat, “Irene? Like Irene Bae? Like head cheerleader Irene Bae? Like prom queen since she was a freshman Irene Bae?” Chaeyoung nodded and moved to switch on some music, “I think so. I don’t really go to sporting events. What kind of tunes do you have in here?” Mina was panicked. The nicest and prettiest cheerleader was friends with Jeongyeon? Or worse, more than friends. Mina stayed silent as Chaeyoung jammed along to some 90’s hit before she spoke again, “Are they friends? Jeongyeon and Irene?” Chaeyoung looked at her driver, “I don’t think so. Irene just found our house somehow. I think she’s trying to date Jeongyeon or something.” Mina nodded and panicked some more in her head. The rest of the ride to school, Mina didn’t ask any more questions as Chaeyoung sang along to the music. Mina dropped off Chaeyoung in the front of the school building, and the short girl got out of the vehicle swiftly to hug her tall girlfriend. _She almost rolled out of the car before I even stopped. Love makes you do crazy things, I guess._ Mina went to park in her usual spot before heading into the school building.

Mina met up with Jihyo and her other friends outside their lockers and wondered if she would even see Jeongyeon that day. Now that she was sure they went to the same school, there was a need to find her. In Mina’s classes, Jeongyeon was nowhere to be found. The lockers, nothing. The hallways during breaks, nada. Even at lunch, Mina was mostly preoccupied with her friends, but was still surprised she couldn’t find the tall blonde she wanted to talk to. She did see Chaeyoung a lot though. Always holding the hand of a bronze beauty. Mina thought about asking Chaeyoung where her sister usually hung around, but she couldn’t pull herself to.

Mina heard a knock at her front door one early morning around 6:30 and ran downstairs to open it. Chaeyoung had a happy smile and her dimple was showing. Mina raised her eyebrows to question what Chaeyoung was doing there. Chaeyoung gave an even bigger smile, “Can I start riding with you to school?” Mina was going to say yes anyway, but Chaeyoung continued to talk, “I am getting bullied on the bus. I usually just have my headphones in, but one boy has started to get more aggressive this week.” Mina nodded and let Chaeyoung into her house. She told her she normally leaves at 7, so they had plenty of time to wait. Mina finished getting ready while Chaeyoung sat on the couches in the family room and watched tv. Momo walked down the stairs in her pajamas and got a glass of water. She heard the noise of the tv and curiously walked towards it. “My buddy, Chaeng, what are you doing here?” Chaeyoung smiled and told Momo about the bullies and how Mina had agreed to give her a ride to school from now on. Momo nodded and sipped her cold water, “That’s cool. Mina’s such a nice person. Why isn’t your sister dating mine yet?” Chaeyoung fully turned to face Momo, “Jeongyeon likes her. Seriously. It’s just a lot of things that’s keeping her from falling for someone right now.” Momo sat on the couch next to Chaeyoung, “Like?” Chaeyoung sighed, “She doesn’t really believe in love, I think? Or she doesn’t think she deserves it. Our parents were… They were… Jeong just doesn’t trust easy when it comes to her heart, you know?” Momo nodded and said she understood. The two watched cartoons together until Mina came back downstairs. Momo waved goodbye to them before heading up to her room to go back to sleep. Mina had heard everything as she stood on the railing of the stairs, listening. She breathed out a sad sigh thinking about the reason Jeongyeon was avoiding her (if she was). 

-

Mina sat in the car waiting for Chaeyoung to come outside of the school. Chaeyoung had asked for rides in the afternoons too and Mina agreed. Mina finally spotted Chaeyoung and her girlfriend, but it didn’t look like Chaeyoung was in a hurry to leave anytime soon. Tzuyu was playing with the shorter girl’s hair as they stood facing each other. Tzuyu had wrapped one of her fingers in Chaeyoung’s short locks and was smiling down at her. Mina couldn’t hear what they were saying as she sat 50 feet away, but the couple looked cute together. Tzuyu left a small peck on Chaeyoung’s forehead and stood back straight, but Chaeyoung stood on her tiptoes to mirror what her girlfriend had just done. Tzuyu leaned down with a beaming smile so Chaeyoung could leave a kiss on her forehead as well, and Chaeyoung walked to the car that Mina was sat in. “You two are cute,” Mina said. Chaeyoung nodded and smiled at the thoughts of her beautiful girlfriend, “Yeah, she is.” Mina happily rolled her eyes and started the car before pulling out of the high school parking lot. After a short while, Mina briefly looked at Chaeyoung in the passenger seat, “Where does your sister go? How come I never see her at school?” Chaeyoung sent a cute message to her girlfriend before answering, “She has an internship, so she leaves school at like 10:30 with a friend of hers.” Mina nodded. Most seniors in her school chose to get an internship or a job, but her parents made her take extra classes instead. Mina dropped Chaeyoung off in her driveway and drove 5 doors down to her own house.

Jeongyeon had been helping Irene with her statistics classes after her internship ended in the afternoons. They always met at the local Starbucks or library and they would study for 30 minutes every school day before Jeongyeon went back home for the day. Jeongyeon used to get paid for her tutoring over her high school career, but after her parents were divorced and she finally had a place to call home, she didn’t find payment important anymore. Irene drove her to school and bought her coffee every morning as a way to pay Jeongyeon in some way. Tutoring was a way for Jeongyeon to stay out of the house, and the extra money she earned, gave her time at the mall or the movies that she could waste instead of returning home. An early morning had Irene running and giving Jeongyeon a big hug. She said it was the first time she aced a stats test as she waved it in her hand. “I swear I love you, Jeongyeon Yoo!” Irene yelled through the hallways. Jeongyeon laughed as Irene released her hold on the hug. “Say it back,” Irene said quietly. Jeongyeon smiled, “I love you too, Irene. I love the coffee you buy for me more though.” Irene vocally laughed with an open mouth and hugged Jeongyeon again, “Well, I’ll start buying even more coffee for you. Jeongyeon wants more coffee dates, Jeongyeon gets more coffee dates.”

It was the first time Mina had seen Jeongyeon since Spring Break and she was confessing her love for someone else and planning extra coffee dates. She could feel a small stab at her heart but tried to shake the feeling away. _So, it was just a one-day romance? That’s fine. I’m fine._ Jihyo saw her best friend looking sad at lunch and asked what was wrong. “Hmm, nothing. Just can’t get out of my head,” Mina lied. Jihyo put her arm around her friend and gave her a hug. Mina asked the question she didn’t want the answer to, “Irene and that football player… did they break up?” Jihyo thought for a second before nodding, “Like 2 months ago. He got drafted by some college in New York and she didn’t want a long-distance relationship.” Mina nodded and ate her fries even with barely an appetite. _Chaeyoung was wrong. Jeongyeon did believe in love. Just not with me._ Mina told herself to get over the crush she had and move on. _Jeongyeon has been avoiding talking to me anyway_ , she thought.

Chaeyoung put her keys down when she was dropped off by Mina and had walked through their front door. “Jeongyeon, are you home?” Jeongyeon yelled from the kitchen, “Yeah!” The smell of burnt bread lingered in the room as Jeongyeon tried to grill some sandwiches for herself. “You’re about to lose that girl with the moles, and you’re doing nothing about it.” Jeongyeon took the hot skillet off the stovetop, “Mina? Why?” Chaeyoung threw up her hands, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you haven’t talked to her since Paris.” Jeongyeon shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich with a grimace, “I’ve been watching her from afar. She seems happy.” Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “First of all, creepy. Second, as someone who rides to school with her every day, I promise you she isn’t happy.” Jeongyeon threw the burnt sandwich away, “So, what am I supposed to do? Talk to her? Get her number?” Chaeyoung looked at her older sister like she was crazy, “YES, that is exactly what you should do.” Jeongyeon turned to go to her bedroom, “Maybe I will!” Chaeyoung yelled, “Good! That’s exactly what I want!”

Jeongyeon laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. _Can I just go up and talk to her? I feel like she wouldn’t want to talk to me anymore_ , she thought to herself. _Okay, tomorrow, I just say “hi”, right? Yes, that’s what I’m going to do._

Mina smiled at her small friend carrying some art project in her hands when she knocked on the door in the morning. “What is it?” Mina asked Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung smiled as she gently put the art project in the trunk, “Do you know about those abandoned president head statues in Virginia?” Mina shook her head. “Well, it’s modeled after that. That’s why the statues are ruined and there’s an overgrowth of grass. I call this piece ‘white supremacy’ because the world is being eaten away by supremacy while it attacks the world.” Mina opened her mouth, “Well, that’s deep?” Chaeyoung nodded as they started their journey to school, “You understand. Knew you had a genius brain.” Mina laughed at that.

Mina was putting her books in her locker when someone tapped on her shoulder. “Hi, Mina.” She turned to look Jeongyeon in the eyes with a sigh, “What do you want, Jeongyeon?” _Not what I expected her to say, but it’s okay_ , Jeongyeon thought. “Um, I wanted to talk to you.” Mina shut her locker, “Why don’t you go talk to your girlfriend, hmm?” _My girlfriend?_ _Am I missing something?_ Jeongyeon thought. Mina walked away before another word could come out of Jeongyeon’s mouth. _What the hell just happened?_ Jeongyeon asked herself.

-

Jeongyeon knocked on the door to Mina’s house that evening and had a perfectly thought out set of words she was going to say. Mina’s mom answered the door and smiled brightly when she saw it was Jeongyeon. “Jeongyeon, I haven’t seen you in forever, sweetie. How have you been?” Jeongyeon always felt like she was greeted with a warm hug when she was talking to Mina’s mom. “I’ve been doing wonderfully Mrs. Myoui. Is Mina home by chance?” Mrs. Myoui shook her head but let Jeongyeon inside anyway, “Her and her father are on their peaceful joyrides around the city. I guess one of them had something bothering them that they needed to talk through.” Jeongyeon gulped and hoped she wasn’t the one being a bother, but she could never know. “I miss having you in the house all day long, Jeongyeon. Are things better now?” Mina’s mom asked. The tall blonde nodded. She never told Mrs. Myoui what was going on in her life, but the woman always let her stay over as long as possible and fed her a hearty meal whenever she cooked. Jeongyeon was thankful that she was able to tutor Sana all those years ago and meet the family who provided for her. It meant she could avoid going home and she made friendships with Momo and Sana that she cherished, even though they didn’t talk much after Jeongyeon stopped tutoring.

After talking to Mrs. Myoui for a short while, Sana came downstairs and joined the conversation. Mina and her dad finally walked through the door after an hour and were laughing together. They had brought fast food with them again and both Sana and Momo rushed into the kitchen to see what they got. Jeongyeon stood up and Mina noted that she looked small in the middle of the living room. “Mina, could we talk?” Mina nodded and walked Jeongyeon up to her bedroom. Jeongyeon gently sat on the bed and Mina followed. “Can I ask who my girlfriend is?” Jeongyeon asked. Mina sighed, “Irene. You were screaming about how much you loved her earlier in the week.” Jeongyeon laughed but Mina didn’t find anything funny. “I’m not dating Irene. I’m tutoring her. She told me she loved me because she aced her test and told me to say it back.” Mina still wasn’t impressed and Jeongyeon started panicking. “I want your number.” Mina still was not happy. Jeongyeon sighed, “Okay okay okay. I have a lot of baggage that I need to deal with, but I like you, Mina.” Mina sighed, “Deal with the baggage with me. Tell me what’s going through your head. Stop avoiding me.” Jeongyeon nodded and said she would do that. Sana and Momo, who were laying outside the door to their sister’s room smiled at each other and hoped the couple could finally get together.

-

Jeongyeon and Mina stayed in the room together and talked for a few hours before Jeongyeon said she had to go home. “Can I have your number?” Jeongyeon asked. Mina nodded and put the number in Jeongyeon’s phone. Jeongyeon felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders as she walked home. Jeongyeon texted Mina as soon as she got home and was disappointed that she hadn’t done this since the beginning.

Jeongyeon started to opt-out of the car rides with Irene and joined Chaeyoung riding with Mina instead. Chaeyoung tried to sit in the passenger seat every time, but her older sister would kick her out and make her sit in the back. Not too many car rides in, and Jeongyeon held her hand out like when they were on the rollercoaster, “You might not be scared, but I want to hold your hand.” Mina smiled and put her hand in the blonde girl’s before driving to school.

Mina and Jeongyeon walked into the school holding hands and everyone turned to look at the visual couple. Jihyo was already standing by Mina’s locker and smiled when she saw the locked hands. “Finally, Jeongyeon. I’ve had to hear Sana complain about you two for like a month.” Jeongyeon gave a small laugh, “I—” Mina put away the books she didn’t need with a gummy smile. “Mina give me a ride home after school. I want to see Sana. You and Jeongyeon are making me want to become a couple.” Mina agreed but reminded her that Chaeyoung rode with them too. Jihyo nodded happily.

Jihyo was still at Mina’s house when it was dinnertime and Jeongyeon had found her way over as well. The table was completely full. Momo and her parents. Sana with Jihyo. Mina with Jeongyeon. The parents happily served their extra guests. The whole table was loud and filled with jokes the whole night until it started to get late. Jihyo said she had homework to finish and she said her goodbyes to Sana and the rest of the family. “I should go, too,” Jeongyeon said. Mina walked her out and they stood on the porch together. Jeongyeon swayed back and forth wanting to kiss the quiet, weird girl in front of her. “Tonight was fun,” Jeongyeon said. Mina nodded and got closer to Jeongyeon. The taller girl was panicking, but in a good way; in the best way. Mina stuck out her face and closed her eyes, “Jeong, count how many moles I have.” Jeongyeon smiled and took a deep breath before she left a small, but meaningful peck on Mina’s lips. Mina smiled against it before puckering her lips to match Jeongyeon’s. Jeongyeon pulled away with a smile and stepped back. She opened her mouth to say something, but Mina cheerily spoke with a blush, “Goodnight, Jeongyeon. I’ll see you in the morning.” The taller girl nodded with a bigger smile and left the porch.

-

School was coming to an end. After 13 years of going to school at 7 in the morning every day, it was finally over. Their graduation was within a week and it all felt so surreal. It felt like part of their lives were ending, but also beginning. This bittersweet memory of their whole lives replayed in the student’s minds. Mina found out she was Valedictorian and surprisingly heard her girlfriend was Salutatorian. Mina left a cheek kiss on Jeongyeon’s face, “Power couple, I think. Top two GPA’s in the grade.” Jeongyeon laughed and nodded, “Of course. Been a power couple since the beginning.” They both had to write speeches for their graduation and submit it to the faculty ahead of time. Mina had worked her whole life to be Valedictorian. To make sure she was doing the proper extracurriculars. To make sure she got into her dream college. Everything in her life had been centered around this moment. This graduation and the entering of college, but she still felt like part of her didn’t know what to do next.

The Friday before their graduation, Mina told Jeongyeon they were going on a road trip. Jeongyeon asked if she had to pack any bags and Mina said it was just a day trip. They both woke up early on Saturday, bought snacks at the gas station and headed on their journey.

“Where are we going?” Jeongyeon asked her girlfriend. Mina smiled and briefly looked at her, “Where we first met…” Jeongyeon thought for a while, “We first in your house, and you drove away from that two hours ago.” Mina shook her head and continued driving. Jeongyeon was chewing on gummy worms when it clicked, “Paris. We met in Paris.” Mina nodded. “But we can’t drive to Paris… Do you have enough money to buy us flights to Paris?” Mina laughed hard and shook her head. Hours and hours of sitting in the car and listening to the music and talking, Mina stopped in front of a sign in the middle of the Texas farmland. She pulled over to the side of the road and they both hopped out of the car. A sign that read ‘Paris, Texas’ with an Eiffel tower and cowboy hat greeted them. They took pictures in front of the sign and Mina jumped back in the car. “They have an Eiffel tower, too. And since we didn’t get to do that together…” Jeongyeon smiled hard as she held her girlfriend’s hand over the center console and rubbed her thumb in a comforting and happy way. The 10-minute ride to the Eiffel tower was filled with a happy silence.

Mina parked the car next to an Eiffel tower gift shop that was just a large wooden shack filled with knock-off Eiffel towers. They stood in front of the wiry and less impressive Eiffel tower, but this one filled them with so much joy compared to the authentic one. The Texas Eiffel tower was wearing a red cowboy hat and they both laughed at how this one had more character. Mina ran with Jeongyeon behind her underneath the tower and they stood facing each other with smiles under the clear blue sky; just like the day they had taken the river cruise together. Mina lifted herself on tiptoes to leave a kiss on Jeongyeon’s lips under the free Texas tower.

Jeongyeon sat down on the ground and patted her lap for Mina to sit between her legs. Jeongyeon wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in a big bear hug as they sat under the tower replica. Mina relaxed her back against Jeongyeon and sighed, “I’ve been avoiding this conversation, but where are you going to school? Like college?” Jeongyeon gulped and hoped it wouldn’t mess up the day, “I got accepted to Rice a while ago…” Mina smiled a left kisses all over Jeongyeon’s cheeks while straining her neck, “I’m going to Rice University too. What are the chances?” Jeongyeon perked up and held her girlfriend tighter, “Seriously?” Mina nodded. Jeongyeon sighed, “Can I tell you the truth about something? The reasons why it took me so long to let myself fall for you.” Mina nodded and waited for Jeongyeon to talk.

“I used to despise you, Mina Myoui. You had a perfect life. The perfect family. A nice house. Didn’t need to worry about money. Any extracurricular you wanted to do. And you were the smartest person in our grade.” Mina was about to speak, but Jeongyeon didn’t let her until she got this out, “My family was never like yours. We never had family meals or jokes amongst ourselves. My dad never took me on rides throughout the city just to talk about life. I worked so hard to be the best; to become Valedictorian since freshman year, and it seemed like you didn’t even have to try. I started tutoring in freshman year because that’s when my dad started drinking. I would come home to the smell of alcohol every night and do my homework in the dark, so I wouldn’t wake him. My mom would sometimes forget to cook food or even buy groceries because she was stressed from work and stressed by the man that kept leaving bruises on her arms. Then he started getting violent with Chaeyoung and me. I needed to find ways to stay out of the house, and luckily your family was there to help me that year. Your mom took me in when I needed it the most. Chaeyoung was always at her friend at the time, Tzuyu’s, house before they started dating, but I had nowhere to go. I had isolated myself from most of my friends. Got rid of all my social media. Changed my number. Ate alone in the lunchroom. I just wanted to become a ghost because life at home was so bad. Mrs. Myoui noticed that I was hurting and didn’t want to go home in the evenings, so she made me food every night and forced your sisters to play video games with me until late when she would drive me home. Your mom never asked about anything that was happening in my life directly, but I don’t think she needed to. But you, with your swimming practices and your ballet recitals. You with your gang of friends that you cheerily ate with at lunch. You with enough money to not need to worry about how your food got in your fridge. You with your perfect family that was loud at times, but still loved each other. You never even noticed me, and I was right there. Always right there in front of you. I hated you when you won your state swim meet and you walked through the door with your dad. Your mom had been cooking all day for you whether you won or lost, but you threw your clothes in the laundry room and said you were too tired for a big dinner. I hated you that day you bumped into me in Paris near the fountains, and you didn’t even recognize me because I was that insignificant to your life. Of course, I don’t feel the same way I do now, but I need you to know, Mina. I want to let you in. I need to let you in.”

-

Mina felt a tear in her eye when her girlfriend finished the story. She didn’t know what to say, so she didn’t say anything. Jeongyeon clutched Mina harder as they sat under the pretend Eiffel tower. They sat in silence for a while until Mina breathed out a sentence that Jeongyeon couldn’t hear. “What was that, Mina?” Mina turned to Jeongyeon with a smile, “I said I think you're my black swan.” Jeongyeon hummed as a question. Mina replied as Jeongyeon lightly moved some hair behind Mina's ear, "Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno." Jeongyeon was still confused and now her girlfriend was speaking in Latin, "What?" Mina smiled, "Rough translation being 'a rare bird in the lands and very much like a black swan' but really meaning 'a good person is as rare as a black swan.'" Mina exhaled deeply before she finished what she was saying, "I love you, Jeongyeon. I love my black swan." Jeongyeon pulled her into a hug and felt the feeling of rain against her skin as they both looked at the greying sky above them. They ran to their car in a dash as the clouds dropped rain in a hurried rush. They laughed as they settled in the car with their drenched clothes.

Mina drove back to San Antonio. Jeongyeon didn’t say I love you back, but she knew she felt it. Mina knew Jeongyeon didn’t have to say it back. She knew how her girlfriend felt about her, even though she was hated in the past by the girl that sat next to her. Jeongyeon fell asleep on the car ride back. Mina leaned over the center console to give her a kiss when they were outside Jeongyeon’s house. “Get some rest, okay?” Jeongyeon lazily nodded and smiled before walking in her house.

_I really do love you, Jeongyeon._ Mina pulled out of the driveway and drove the short distance to her house.

Their graduation day was a blur of smiles and cries. They were greeted by their families who congratulated them and said goodbye to some of their lifelong friends. Jeongyeon had an entire speech prepared for graduation after Mina’s. She stood on the stage staring at the students in front of her. She almost followed the speech perfectly, but what she didn’t expect to say was how much she loved Mina Myoui to the 250 students she was graduating with. She looked back at Mina and her girlfriend gave her a wink in return and mouthed ‘I love you too’ before Jeongyeon went back to her speech.

Jeongyeon spent most of her summer at Mina’s house. Jihyo too. Chaeyoung was always at Tzuyu’s house anyway. Once Jeongyeon said she loved Mina the first time, she couldn’t stop saying it any chance she got. Mina’s dad came home one day with his arms full of groceries. He pointed at Jeongyeon and lightly joked, “You’re the one that’s been keeping my daughter from me.” He turned to Mina as she helped with the bags, “Where has our father-daughter bonding time gone? You get a girlfriend and you forget about your old man.” Mina laughed and shook her head. She told her dad they could go on their weekend joy rides the following day, but her dad said no. Mina looked confused before he smiled, “Not without Jeongyeon. I want to get to know her too.” Jeongyeon happily grinned since she was allowed to join too.

-

The three of them got in their mom’s car on a Thursday afternoon, but they still called it a weekend ride around the city. They weren’t in the corvette because it only sat two people, but Mrs. Myoui’s car had a cassette adapter that Mr. Myoui had installed years prior. It was raining when they got in the car, but Mina’s dad justified it was better to ride in the rain anyway. The music gave off a more chill vibe that way.

He put the first cassette into the adapter and started to ask Jeongyeon the first few questions he had. Jeongyeon answered them nicely as Mina watched her dad and girlfriend get along. Nothing filled her heart more than the moment she was in right then.

The window wipers hit back and forth against the car like a metronome. The city lights of San Antonio looking beautiful against the drizzling water and other car lights. Mina’s dad joked with his daughter about her completely forgetting about him when she went to college with her girlfriend. Mina shook her head and told her dad that was a lie. She would need a song every day to get through college’s hard curriculum, maybe two.

Her dad said he would do just that for his daughter. Jeongyeon sat up a little in her seat in the back of the car to speak and hear better. She was leaned onto the center console with her seatbelt restraining her as she stared at her beautiful girlfriend and couldn’t believe her life in that moment. Jeongyeon’s mom was happy after the divorce. Chaeyoung was happy with her art-filled life with her girlfriend. Jeongyeon was the happiest she had ever been. Mina’s dad looked into the back seat and asked Jeongyeon to hand him an Ozzy Osbourne cassette. She searched for it and Mina’s dad tried to point it out for her as he kept his eyes partially on the road.

Mina laughed and pointed it out for her girlfriend as her dad hit the brakes and gripped his steering wheel. The car had hit a puddle on the highway as the rain started to pick up. He hit the brakes harder trying to gain control of the vehicle. The car spun to the left, then teetered to the right. Mina gripped the dashboard as the car spun out of control with cars behind them in the dark summer rain.

Mina’s dad put a hand over Mina’s body as an extra precaution. The car wasn’t slowing down as it continued to spin. The San Antonio lights surrounded the car as Mina’s heart raced and tears filled her eyes. She closed her eyes as her hands shook, hoping for it to end, praying for it to end. The car finally stopped abruptly as the front hit the edge of a ledge. Mina’s head was still spinning, and she didn’t want to open her eyes. She finally took a deep shaky breath and opened her eyes. She couldn’t see her dad. All she saw was part of the car. The middle section of the car had caved in on itself. Mina turned back to look at Jeongyeon. A light pole had fallen on the car with beige seats and blood was falling down Jeongyeon’s forehead, slowly. Mina held out her hand to hold Jeongyeon and realized she was injured too. She couldn’t move much, but she made sure she could hold onto Jeongyeon.

Jeongyeon kept telling her no, but she couldn’t hear, could only read her lips. Mina pulled out her phone to dial 911 but couldn’t hear the ringer or the operator or Jeongyeon yelling what happened from the back of the car.

Mina looked back at her girlfriend whose eyes were opening and closing wearily. More blood was rushing down her forehead and quicker as tears appeared in Mina’s eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. “Jeong! Jeong!” She yelled but couldn’t hear herself. Jeongyeon gave a squeeze to Mina’s hand as her eyes slowly closed and her body relaxed. “I love you,” Jeongyeon said. Mina couldn’t hear it. She could only make out the mouthed words as more tears stained her cheeks. She saw the lights of the ambulance first and couldn’t even hear the annoying siren that she needed to hear. She needed noise, she needed to hear and see her dad. To hear her girlfriend. She had no idea how her dad was because she couldn’t see him, and she wanted to scream because she couldn’t fucking move. After a lot of struggling but getting nowhere, Mina felt herself getting dizzy in the seat. The rain hitting the window in chaotic pats. The lights on the highway feeling blinding, and her eyes closing just like Jeongyeon’s had minutes before. The ‘I love yous’ Jeongyeon had said over the months replaying in her mind like a song she never wanted to get rid of.


End file.
